Automobile hood latch



May 7, 1940. w. s. SAUNDERS AUT QMOBILE HOOD LATCH Filed April 2 9, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 WALTER S. SAUNDERS May 7, I940.

' W. S. SAUNDERS I AUTOMOBILE HOOD-LATCH Filed April 29, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheeia 2 -I ENT R. v WALTERSSAUNDERS Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES AUTOMOBILE HOOD LATCH Walter Saunders, Pontiac, Mich, assignor to The American Forging and Socket Company,

Pontiac, Micln, a

corporation of Michigan Application April 29, 1937, Serial No. 139,779

2 Claims.

This invention relates to remotely controlled latching devices for enclosures such as the hoods of automobiles, constituting an improvement upon the disclosure of my copending application Serial No. 139,778, filed April 29, 1937. An important object of the present invention is to provide a simplified and very inexpensive but secure latch of the character indicated, release of which may only be effected from a remote point, but which does not, when so released, completely free the lid or other held element, a novel safety catch thereafter coming into play to prevent such complete freeing of the held member. An advantage of this construction inheres in the fact'that it guards against accidental freeing of the engine hood of a vehicle while in motion,-which freeing might entail serious consequences.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sideelevatio'nal view of the front portion of a motorcar provided with hood latching means constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section of the portion of the vehicle by which the 85 latching mechanism is carried, showing such latching mechanism in side elevation.

v Figure 3 is a plan view of such mechanism and appurtenant supporting portions of the vehicle, with the hood removed.

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the latch mechanism, with the hood lifting and anti-rattling spring removed.

Figure 5 is a. perspective view showing the principal elements of the latching mechanism in disassembled: relation.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a somewhat modified. construction.

Figure 7 is a plan view thereof with the hood removed, similar to Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a view similar to modified embodiment.

Figure 9 is a plan view thereof similar 3, and

Figure 10 is su perspective view of the principal Figure 2 of another to Figure parts thereof indisassembled relation, similar to' Figure 5'.

Referring now to the drawings, reference character l 5 designates generally the body of an automobile, shown equlpped with a front mounted ehi gine ll enclosed in a compartment covered by a hood defined by side panels l8 and a lid section adapted to be lifted to expose the engine, radi' ator 22 and appurtenant elements. The structural framework of the hood' and-radiator. includes a front member 2| to and from which the lid is swingable, and which supports the stationary parts of the hood latching mechanism. Carried by the lid ill is 'a downwardly projecting keeper .portion 24, in the shape of a forwardly facing hook formed of a double thickness of sheet metal, the two pieces being spot welded or otherwise secured together and provided with lateral flanges at their tops for securance to the inside of the lid. The hooked keeper is adapted to ex- I tend through a slot or opening 25 in the supporting plate 26 when the lid is closed, plate 26 being bolted to the top of and projecting rearwardly from the frame member 2|.

The keeper hook 24 will be seen to be provided .in addition with a rearwardly facing shoulder 21 adapted to be overengaged by a swinging dog 30, which constitutes the main latching member, the dog being pivoted between a pair-of upwardly.ex-

tending arms 3|, carried by a U-Shaped bracket l 29 which spans and extends downwardly upon either side of the slotted opening 25, forming a pocket and guide for the hooked keeper 24, which projects through the space between the webs of such bracket when the lid is closed. As best shown in Figure 2, when in such position, the bottom of the dog normally overlies the uppershou'lder 2! of the keeper, within the bracket 29, holding the lid tightly closed. A spring as 33 tends to pull the rod- 35 rearwardly thereby tending to swing the end of the dog into firmer engagement with the shoulder 21 of the keeper, which is so inclinedthat such tendency of the spring also .draws the keeper and liddownwardly and tightens the engagement between parts, thereby efiectively holding them against rattling. As shown in Figure 1, the rod may project through a passage provided by a bushing or tube 36 extending through and sealed in the radiator tank. The rod also passes through the dash 34 and the instrument panel 35, where an'operating lever 38 may be provided to enable convenient operation ofthe latch.

When the operating rod is moved forwardly by v means of hand lever 38, to retract the dog 30 from its overlying engagement with respect to shoulder 21 of the keeper, the keeper and so the lid is urged upwardly by a U-shaped leaf spring 40, but such upwardmovement of the lid beyond a predetermined point is prevented by engagement of the lower shoulder 31 of the keeper with a safety. catch member 44, constituting a swinging bar which normally overlies such shouldered hooked portion 31, and is yieldably held in such position v by a spring 45. The safety catch is pivoted to plate 26 as upon a rivet 46, and provided with a handle portion 48 projecting upon the other side of its pivot and manually operable, when the lid is raised sumciently by release of dog 30 to allow an operator to reach between the lid and frame member 2|, to free the safety catch. It will thus be seen that although initial unlocking must be efi'ected from within the vehicle, complete freeing of the lid is possible only by manual operation of the safety catch by a person standing in front of the vehicle, thus precluding accidental freeing of the lid while the vehicle is in motion.

In the somewhat modified construction shown in Figures 6 and 7, separate latch members 30A and A, the latter a safety catch, are also provided, the one operable only from within the vehicle as by means of a rod 35A, while the other, independently pivoted upon the same supporting bracket 29A and pivot pin 46A, is actuable only manually when the lid is partially raised due to freeing of the main latching dog 30A. Latch bracket 29A is shown as secured at its rear end to the top or tank portion of the radiator 22A, and both latching members cooperate with the same rearwardly facing hooked portion of keeper 24A. Bracket 29A is formed of two spaced side webs, between which the keeper projects when the lid is closed, the bracket extending downwardly and forwardly from the radiator tank and being also secured at its forward end to the frame member MA as by means of a bolt 23A which also secures the spring MA by which the lid is partially lifted when the dog 30A is retracted, such spring bearing against the bottom of the keeper, as best shown in Figure 6. The arm of the lever-type latching bolt or dog 30A to which the rod 35A is articulated extends upwardly from its pivot 46A to a point slightly above the radiator, over the top of which rod 35A extends. It will be seen that when the hooked keeper is freed by retraction of the dog 30A it is caught in partially raised position by dog 44A, and there held until one desiring to complete the freeing of the lid, in order that it may be fully raised, reaches into the space between the partly opened lid and the frame and pushes dog A back, to free the hook and the lid.

Another modification, shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, comprises a swinging latching dog 303 having a cam-type operating nose 3! B and articulated as upon a pin 3613 in downwardly'projecting position upon a bracket 293 also secured to frame member NB, the bracket having spaced side webs between which the keeper member 243 projects when the lid is closed. Such keeper is provided with a forwardly facing slightly hooked cam surface 213, engageable by the cam portion MB of the dog,.and also carries a rearwardly facing shoulder 31B adapted to be held by the safety catch plate 443 to prevent complete freeing of the lid when the dog 30B is swung to retracted position. plate is slidable longitudinally upon the top of the frame and bracket portions 2IB29B, and centrally slotted so that the keeper may project therethrough into the latched position in which it is shown in Figure 8. A spring 45B tends to draw the plate forwardly, insuring its engagement with the shoulder 313 which prevents complete freeing of the lid.

It will be seen that when the dog 30B is thrown .forwardly by means of the operating rod 353, the lid may be raised only to a position in which plate 44B catches in therearwardly facing The safety catch a hooked portion 313, until the plate is manually pushed back to free the safety catch.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with an automotive vehicle having separate engine and passenger compartments, and a hood portion enclosing the engine compartment, a closure member swingable to open and close said hood, and latching means for releasably maintaining the closure member in closed position, including latching means for maintaining the closure member tightly closed and formed as a cam to urge said closure more tightly toward closed position when engaged, a keeper section carried by the closure having an abutment portion against which said cam reacts. said keeper section having another abutment portion spaced from the first, safety catch means for checking and preventing opening movement of said closure member beyond a predetermined position upon release of said latching means, means accessible from within the passenger compartment for operating said latching means, said safety catch means comprising a lever located in said hood portion and operable only from outside said passenger compartment, a part carried by the lever being swingable transversely to and from a blocking position with respect to said last mentioned abutment portion, and a sheet metal pocket having side webs between which 30 ing undesired opening movement of the closure member comprising a latching assembly enclosed within the hood and including latch means for maintaining the closure member tightly closed,

and safety catch means for checking and preventing opening movement of said closure member beyond a predetermined position upon release of said latch means, a sheet metal keeper projecting inwardly from the closure and having longitudinally spaced laterally offset abutment portions, a combined latch casing and keeper guide element carried by a fixed portion of the hood and adapted to receive the keeper, a dogging element movable into and out of engagement with said keeper within said casing and guide element, said dogging element having a wedging portion for holding the keeper in said casing and guide element and acting when engaged with the keeper to urge the latter and so the closure toward more tightly closed position, means accessible from within the passenger compartment for operating said dogging element, said safety catch means comprising another dogging element carried by said casing and guide element and engageable with said keeper within said casing and guide element to prevent complete separation of the keeper therefrom when the first mentioned dogging element is released, both of said dogging elements being movable transversely of the path of movement of the keeperand inwardly and outwardly of said casing and guide- 

